Page 10 of Desecrated Saints
Her smile turns me to pathetic mush. Seeing her again, alive and breathing, fuck. It will never get old after being left in the dark for so long. I could watch her forever and die a happy man.
“I’ll throw some clothes on,” Brooklyn decides. “Don’t leave without me.”
“Ten minutes. Try not to wake anyone else up.”
She cuts me a small grin. “Yes, sir.”
Leaving her to head for the room she’s sharing with Two and Five, I return to the bedroom I’m bunking in with Hudson. The girls are still out of it. Sadie gave them some more stolen meds in the middle of the night. Their screaming could wake up the Devil when their nightmares hit.
I throw on some sweats, leaving the two shirts I managed to flee Blackwood with untouched. I don’t need to be that person here. Hudson shifts in his twin-sized bed, moaning in his sleep. He passed out after polishing off a bottle of vodka with Phoenix.
I should establish some house rules.
Too much freedom could be a bad thing.
Returning to the country-style kitchen, complete with a farmhouse stove and huge bay window with a view of the surrounding woods, I listen for any other signs of movement. Phoenix and Eli are asleep in their own room, while Sadie and Seven share another.
“You ready?”
Emerging from the hallway, Brooklyn’s located a pair of yoga pants to go with Hudson’s stolen t-shirt. She flicks her gaze over my outfit, humming with appreciation.
“Can I help you with something?” I ask cheekily.
“Nope. You look good, all casual and shit.”
“Well, there’s no one to impress out here in the woods.”
Grabbing her leather jacket from the back of a chair, Brooklyn snorts. “Maybe this bullshit has taught us something after all. You never needed to impress anyone.”
“Only you.”
Pausing to take a deep inhale of the worn leather, I catch the faint smile that graces her lips. Before I can, she picks up the notepad and pen I left on the counter to scribble things down.
“Do the girls need anything?”
Brooklyn shrugs. “More clothes, I guess.”
“Have they spoken to you?”
“Barely. We should sit them down and talk.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I frown.
“I probably have a better shot than anyone else at getting something out of them.” Brooklyn scans an empty cupboard. “Seven knows them better than me, but he isn’t capable of talking to anyone. Sadie has him sedated again.”
“She’s going to run out soon.”
“He’ll come around.”
“Do you really believe that?”
Her gunmetal-grey eyes meet mine, carrying a heavy burden that I can’t hope to understand. None of us can undo all the damage that’s been done, no matter the control freak in me demanding that I try.
“I have to believe that,” she admits. “If I don’t, then what would be the point? If Seven can get better, so can I. We can leave the people we became behind.”
I capture Brooklyn’s hand as she heads for the door, pulling her close. She comes reluctantly at first, still struggling to accept comfort, but eventually relaxes against my chest.
“You’re still you, love.”